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Mine aren't quite as spectacular as some of yours, but I had to post a few blooms anyway. Let's start with a couple of daylilies. Here is Custard Candy:

Fooled Me:

Wineberry Candy:

That's all the daylilies I have blooming right now. On to hydrangeas. I should have gotten a close up. I can just picture what this garden will look like in a few years...he@venly...sigh!

Phlox are just starting to bloom

How about some heucheras? Here's Tiramisu--earlier in the spring, it had the most beautiful raspberry veins

And Georgia Peach

Hosta blooms

Love this dark purple hosta bloom

I only have a few Asiatic Lilies. This is the only one left--Dream Catcher

My containers are still tiny, but getting there...

You don't know what a sacrifice it was for my DH to give up his beloved boots for these flowers

My garage flower box impatiens (I still have to post before and after pics of my ugly-turned-not-so bad garage)

An ivy topiary I just started last week

Oklahoma Everblooming Hybrid Tea Rose--it was in a shady corner near the house when we moved here, and it has only bloomed once in 6 years. I moved it last fall to the only sunny spot I have for it, and am excited to see it has a bud!

My Aphrodite in June...not a tremendous amount of hair growth, but a little!

And last one...this is for Muddy! Datura seedlings! Now I just have to figure out where to plant them!!

Hope you enjoyed looking at my pretties!!

Ok, while I'm here, let me go ahead and show you what my garage looked like in March. Not a full-on picture, but you get the idea

And now--I still need to paint the door red, and it'll be done. Quite an improvement, wouldn't you say?

Closer view of the window

And the side--my sister brought me the two smaller geckos back from Haiti, I got the sun from Kirkland's, and the larger gecko came from Lakesides, where Muddy's flamingo came from

And Muddy's flamingo has a distant cousin that looks exactly like her! She came to live with me!!

Ok, that's all--I'll stop being a board hog now!!

Wow, you have a lot of blooms already!

Everything is so pretty, I love the potted colander, what a neat idea. Aphrodite is just gorgeous and your garage is so cute now.

I have a small Talavera sun like that too in my middle courtyard along with some metal ones.

The daylilies are just beautiful, love the colors.

Oh, Karen... I'm speechless. It's all so beautiful.

The garage makeover is genius. The way you've turned a utilitarian building into a cute garden feature is brilliant.

Oh, and I meant to say I LOVE your "kitchen garden". Makes me so fervently wish I'd saved my late MIL's teakettle, colander, and such so I could copy your idea now.

Everything looks so nice. Great blooms on the hostas and of course the daylily blooms are excellent! You have really put a lot of work into your yard, not a weed in sight!

You sure have a green thumb!! You flowers are all so pretty and healthy looking.
Love what you've done to the garage.

You are a real energizer bunny Karen! So many beautiful touches! Love that! Remember the Datura are poisonous but smell sweetly so pick a safe place when you can appreciate the smell. Hope you have some fun with them. OMG my pink exotic dancer for the squirrels has a relative in MO? Hahaaa That planter with the woman's face is so wonderful...you must have paid a fortune for that cuz I have priced them! How tall is it? TFS

you can hog the board all you want. i never tire of your gorgeous pictures and gardens.

here is a 'red' suggestion for your door. i'm in process of doing my screen door this color.

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/e...paint-color/caliente

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Very nice! Please tell me more about your newspaper seed planters. I've never seen that before.

I LOVE YOUR FLAMINGO! IT'S ADORABLE!

Thanks so much, everyone!! I was feeling a little embarrassed about posting so many pics--thanks for being so kind!!

Z9~~I didn't know the name for the sun...you just helped me add a new word to my garden junque vocabulary!

Nettiejay~~the first time I had our gardening group (Gabby Gardeners), they thought that was our backyard neighbor's house! As for the kitchen garden, you could still run with the idea with garage sale or thrift shop finds. That's where this stuff came from. Although I know how special it would have been to have belonged to your MIL.

16Paws~~you are too kind! There are PLENTY of weeds...just discerning angles on the pics!!

Silly Bird~~You know, most of what I have learned about having a green thumb comes from belonging to this board for the past several years! You all are a wealth of information and support!!

Muddy~~I do remember they are poisonous, but thanks for the reminder. I also have monkshood, which is also toxic, planted out by the gate. It is almost full shade there...do you think it is too shady? As for your pink dancer (can't remember her fancy-schmancy name off hand!), yes, her relative loves it here in my garden. But, she doesn't glow at night--I guess not enough sun. Oh well, I love her anyway, even if she is a little dull. My Aphrodite is about 16 inches tall or so, and we have a statuary that makes them just a couple blocks away. Not too pricey...I think around $30, and that was painted in any finish you choose. The guy has amazing prices, and I try to add a few new things each year. I have some things on order right now, and will post a pic when I get them!

Bana~~thanks for the suggestion of paint color, but I already have my paint. It's Valspar Duramax in Classic Red. It matches my dumpster-dive chairs!!

Fluffy~~Uh oh--I see another tutorial coming along!! I'll try to make one and post pics step by step. It's fun!!

Barb~~thanks...maybe we should have a naming contest for her, too! (hopefully something a little easier to remember than her cousin at Muddy's house!!)

Don't be embarrassed for showing your gorgeous blooms your aphridite(which I am crazy about) and all the whimsy thorughout.
Iill have to post a pic of another cousin of Muddy's bird. So Yours is a 3rd cousin since I gave muddy hers LOL. I'll take a pic of the male relative too. :-)

Thanks for clarifying, Thumbie! I wasn't sure if she was a 1st cousin once removed or what exactly! Good to know the pecking order!! And yes, show pics of that male relative, too!! And make sure to tell us just how he is related!!

oh my gosh Karen....I don't know where to start. Love the vibrant daylilies. The ones with the dark throats are my favorites...then there's the kitchen garden (copying that next year)and the whatever cousin. I need to get out of this holler and find me a second cousin once removed. Love her/him.

That garage is a beautiful transformation. Loved it all and thank you so much for the tour.

ve

Everything is so pretty! TFS I especially like the dark purple hosta bloom, the lilies, and how you've decorated your garage. Oh, and the aluminum teakettle is an idea I'm going to copy if I run out of planters before I run out of plants. I have one the same - was it difficult to punch holes in the bottom? The colander is a brilliant idea, unfortunately I gave mine away. So many great ideas.

Don't worry about hogging the board, I know we all love lots of pics.

Karen you have been a busy woman! And it has paid off! Everything looks so good! I love before & after pics & your garage is great! Love the plantings in front of it & the window box.

You have so many beautiful day lilies! What do you do with them when have stopped blooming?

Absolutely Gorgeous! You have quite a green thumb and good taste as well.

Lovely, lovely, lovely!!! I'd put clapping hands in here if I could.

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Karen, can I come sit at your house too? If I get into one of your dumpster finds you might have to help me up though!
Everything you have done is just fantastic! Just don't forget to sit down & enjoy it for awhile this summer!

Vera~~thanks! And I think we should have a flamingo family reunion once your second cousin arrives, don't you?

Joy~~thanks for the compliments on the kitchen garden. DH drilled holes in the bottom, and I forgot to ask him how difficult it was. I don't think it was at all though, or he might have said. Can't wait to see yours next year!

Patty Louise~~thank you too! I just have some plain ole' Honeybells hostas in front of the garage for now, but will have to move them as they are going to start getting too big for that spot and growing over the sidewalk. As for the daylilies, I don't really know what to do with them when they stop blooming! Guess I should have thought about that before!! I was just hoping the foliage would stay green throughout the rest of the summer, but if it doesn't, I may eventually put something else in there.

Bet~~thanks, but I wouldn't say I have a green thumb, just learning how to work with all this blessed shade!!

FFG~~Thank you very much. I can almost hear the clapping now!

Karen~~you come any time!! And, if you can't get up, then there's no reason to leave, is there? But yes, I'd help you if you really must go!! And don't worry about me enjoying it--after the summer we spent last year getting ready for that blasted wedding, we are doing lots of enjoying this year!!

First of all...there is NO such thing as too many pictures! However, there is such a thing as too FEW pictures!

Your yard and landscaping is so nice! I love the idea of using old kitchen stuff for containers! I'm going to have to steal,uh...borrow...that idea!

Your garage looks fabulous! What a change! It went from drab (like mine) to adorable. The red door will really finish it off beautifully.

Great job on the whole thing!

Thanks, Jean, for all the nice comments! And you steal, er--borrow to your heart's content!!!

Love all your pics.......great ideas ....your garage is so nice, love the window shade.....

Thanks DreaReed! The window shade is a $3 Walmart vinyl tablecloth that I cut and sewed rod pockets on the tops and bottoms! It was a little tricky, sewing that flannel-backed vinyl on my machine, but I wanted something that would be colorful, wipe-downable, fade resistant and disposable if it didn't last more than one season. It was just enough to do the windows on the door too!

Such pretty flowers! Since you're also zone 5, I'm amazed how far along your plantings are.
I cut down my Phlox twice already so they won't bloom until August. I thought that is what you are supposed to do? My spring blooming blue phlox finished in May.
Since yours bloom now will they bloom again?

You know, Jvelo...I have no idea!! I've never heard that before! They were here when we bought the house, and I divided them so they would spread out across the back edges of the beds. Last year, we got so much rain that they got overrun with powdery mildew and didn't do very well.

I've only ever had them bloom once, so I'd be interested to know if it is possible for them to bloom again. Anybody else know about that? Thanks for the heads up!!

Edited to add: I found this on ecoturfco.com (sorry, links still don't work for me): Pruning is not necessary however, cutting the plants back by half their height after the first flush of blooms will often encourage new blooms.

I will definitely try that this year and see what happens!! Thanks again!!

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This is mama

I just call this guy prince

Too Cute, Thumbie! I have coveted that one with the hangey-downie neck for some time now, and Prince is just adorable!! I have a couple like them, but they are getting faded from the sun and need refreshed!! Thanks for showing us your critters!!